Stop Talking About Homelessness and Start Helping the
Homeless Help Themselves
Many, if not all of us, are "one serious
accident", "one serious illness", "one economic
downturn" away from being homeless.
Imagine yourself having Alzheimer's and homeless. You might or might not know
you need medical help. Even if someone told you that healthcare was now
available, you might not even understand him or her or have the physical
ability to enroll in this new health option.
This is the plight of many homeless. They might
know about the new health options, but do not know how to enroll. Some homeless
are "so out of it", for whatever reason, they cannot understand or
comprehend they have new healthcare options.
Thus, creates a service opportunity for average people to
help the homeless help themselves. Most homeless do not choose their
lifestyle. Many are afflicted with physical or mental conditions that restrict
their choices in life. Maybe they want to do better in life, if only they had
the health they so long wanted, but was out of reach to them.
Below are 50 suggestions for people, just like you and me,
to help implement Affordable Health Care for homeless people. Your efforts
might very well end or prevent homelessness for one or more persons. Even your
tiniest effort will probably help.
Tips:
- Do not
try to go it alone. Some homeless people might be very desperate, and
maybe dangerous. Work with a team of some sort.
- Try
not to re-invent the wheel, e.g. creating your own flyers, etc. Find out
what others are doing and maybe volunteer your time, efforts, and
expertise.
- Ask
first before you do something. Your best-contrived efforts might not help
at all and maybe even hurt. Bounce your ideas off like-minded people and
see what they think.
- Do not
get discouraged. There is a lot of opposition to this new health care
option. Do not let them get you down. You are working for the homeless and
they do not have many options. You can make a positive difference in someone's
life. Try it and see how it goes. Your reward might be the smile on
someone's face as the person light up with renewed hope.
50 Suggestions - Pick one or more and start
today!
1. Maybe first learn about the new healthcare options in the U.S. The links
below might be enough to get started. Your local library can help you
"find more like this". In addition, your local library can offer
additional suggestions how you could help locally where you live.
2. Become familiar with the existing tools to aid in
enrollment.
- Check out the "Enroll America" link below.
- Review the "Affordable Care Act Resource Kit", especially the
section on "Take Action in Your Region, State and Community".
- Review the "Official Resources" to find appropriate tools to
inform the homeless. Especially see "Other Partner Resources" to find
promotion materials.
- Ask government officials how you can help the homeless get the new
Affordable Health Care.
- Build on the work of "Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program".
Collaborate with them and learn their best practices. Even if VA covers
veteran's healthcare, spouses and dependents generally are not covered by VA
benefits. Hence, the rest of the family still needs healthcare coverage.
3. Ask at your local Homeless Shelter how you can help with
the Affordable Care rollout. Tasks might include providing transportation,
making and distributing flyers, informing the homeless of their new health care
option, etc.
4. See how your place of worship is "helping the homeless
help themselves" with this new healthcare option. Join an existing group
or start a group to assist the homeless in enrolling. Some pastors, priests,
etc. are using their sermons to suggest actions, like the suggestions in this
article.
5. Spread the word on your Social Media, e.g. Facebook,
LinkedIn, etc. Let others know where they can go for more information or
assistance. The procedure might be a little different in each state, but there
is help in registering in every state.
6. Teach your children and/or students about how the new
Health Reform has great potential to end or prevent homelessness. Maybe they
want to help in some way and need adult supervision. The students, themselves,
might be in a homeless situation or know of someone who is. Teaching resources
have been developed and are included in the references below.
7. Post flyers where homeless gather informing them that
health care is now within their reach. Local radio stations could make public
service announcements. Pay phones could have a flyer nearby.
8. Retirees could find a new purpose in life, "helping
others help themselves". Who knows, a well-off retiree today could be a
homeless retiree tomorrow.
9. Speak to the homeless in their native language about
Health Reform, e.g. Spanish, Hmong, even "Street Language". Have an
information session at a local shelter. Tailor your communication to reach
people on their own level of understanding. You are there to inform and
encourage, not to preach what people should or should not do.
10. If you are a famous or well-known person, promote Health
Reform, especially using communication methods to reach the homeless. Encourage
your fans to help others less fortunate.
11. If you have a business in an area frequented by the
homeless, inform and promote their new health options. Homeless people might
not come in to shop, but rather to warm themselves. Thus, any store has the
potential of having homeless people in the store.
12. Ask on your Social Media how you can help the homeless
get the new Affordable Health Care. There might be great suggestions that are
not considered here. Tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.
can be great collaboration and networking resources to work with others.
13. "Soup Kitchens", "Meal Sites", Food
Assistance Programs, Clothing Banks, etc. could include informative flyers.
These programs could even restrict assistance to only those that show proof of
healthcare coverage.
14. Those who give cash donations to anyone could include an
informative flyer, along with those donations. If you give money to
panhandlers, give them a flyer too and ask them to help spread the word. The
flyers could be the same size as money and would easily fit into a wallet or
purse. Consider giving money only to those who show proof of their health
coverage.
15. Check Cashing Services could post the new health care
options.
16. Liquor Stores could include a flyer in the "brown
paper bag".
17. Public Workers, especially Park workers, could have
information on their uniforms.
18. Post announcements in rural community gathering places,
e.g. post office, general store, local gas stations, etc. Many homeless are in
remote places, where news travels slowly.
19. Make enrollment a condition of release for prisoners.
Maybe even offer enrollment as a condition for early release. It is known that
many homeless were incarcerated. For those already paroled from prison, the
parole officer could insist on proof of health care coverage, as a condition of
continued parole.
20. Ask addiction support groups or agencies to help spread
the word to the homeless, e.g. Alcoholics Anonymous, halfway houses, AODA
counselors, rehab hospitals, etc.
21. Enlist the local police to give flyers to those who are
homeless or who "look like" they might become homeless soon.
22. Make enrollment a condition of release from mental
hospitals. Maybe even offer enrollment as a condition for early release, since
now they will have access to ongoing care.
23. Fix up an old bus to go where homeless are known to
congregate. There could be facilitators onboard to assist people in
registering. The bus could be equipped with computers, Wi-Fi, and/or phone
access. Paper forms could be available too. Give them a dollar if they register
on the bus or bring a friend to register. Maybe this is something the U.S.
government would consider.
24. Ask the "runaway" or "street
children" agencies to help homeless children register, even if the
children do not actually go home. Even if children have no home, they can at
least have healthcare. Examples of such agencies are "National Runaway Safeline”,
“StandUp For Kids", etc.
25. Enrollment information could be printed on the back of
public documents such as bus transfer tickets, library cards, meal/travel
vouchers, etc.
26. Stores could include registration information on the
bottom or back of receipts. Sometimes homeless just come in to buy a cup of
coffee to warm themselves. The information on the receipt, along with the
coffee, could give them renewed hope to help themselves.
27. Temporary employment places could inform workers of
their new healthcare coverage. Construction crews, farms, clean-up crews often
hire day laborers. Minimum wage employers, e.g. fast food restaurants, day
labor services, etc. could post announcements near the "time clock".
"Shadow Workers" such as peddlers, street vendors, etc. could only
continue their activities if they have proof of health care coverage.
28. Organizations that help the disabled could insist on
enrollment for continued assistance. One such agency that benefits the homeless
disabled is HUD's "Shelter Plus Care" (S+C) program.
29. Plasma donation centers could inform participants of
their new health care coverage.
30. ATM machines could have the "Welcome Message"
inform where to register locally.
31. Hotels, especially those that offer, "single room
occupancy (SRO)", could include a flyer with the transaction.
32. Humanitarian or service agencies could help spread the
word when dealing with patrons. Examples of such agencies are the Red Cross,
YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Salvation Army, United Way, etc.
33. Free/low-cost food places could restrict food until the
recipient is registered. Examples of this could be soup kitchens, SHARE, Second
Harvest, etc. Healthcare registration could be a pre-requisite for the SNAP "food
stamp" program.
34. Free clinics, emergency rooms, urgent cares, etc. could
restrict ongoing treatment until registered. Of course, emergencies would be
taken care of, as usual.
35. Travel-related organizations, such as Travelers Aid,
could inform those who look like they might be homeless of their new options.
36. Travel places could be an opportunity to inform. Such
places might include airports, bus stations, train stations, etc. Public
Transportation Services could have a billboard.
37. Courts could reduce fines for those who have proof of
health insurance coverage.
38. Foster care organizations, orphanages, etc. could insist
on enrollment before placement or continued foster care.
39. Brainstorm "Incentives" as well as
"Sanctions", encouraging the homeless to register for their own sake,
as well as to benefit the community.
40. Some homeless groups publish newsletters to support
themselves. You could write an article telling of the new benefits. Advertise
within the newspaper, "street sheets", etc. informing the homeless
and others of this new option. Buy papers only from those that show proof of
their coverage.
41. Some homeless do indeed work but live out of their cars.
In those cases, try to let them know they now have health care, if they only register.
42. Government offices could all have posters, flyers, etc.
related to the new health care options. Examples of this would be post offices,
police stations, courts, jails, welfare offices, etc.
43. Truck trailers, train cars, etc. could have a poster
attached, since many homeless congregate in such areas.
44. Post flyers above dumpsters, trash barrels, etc. since
many homeless search for food, cans to recycle, etc.
45. Post flyers above public drinking fountains, toilets,
etc.
46. Post flyers near the Over-The-Counter Medications in
stores, since many try to fix themselves with medications they can afford with
little or no income.
47. Post an announcement on the online classified
advertisement sites, e.g. Craigslist, eBay Classifieds, etc. In the announcement,
ask others to spread the word to the homeless that they now have healthcare, if
they only register for it and then use it.
48. Share your experiences with others, so others can learn
from you. You might find better ways to Enroll America. You might not end
homelessness, but at least you know you have done all you can to provide an
opportunity for others to receive affordable healthcare.
49. On an ongoing basis, encourage people to use their
healthcare opportunities. Show them how to help themselves. Suggest they get
the help they need. If their health improves, maybe their homeless situation
will take care of itself. When people feel better on the outside, they feel
better about themselves on the inside, and want to help themselves. Someday those
same people might help others help in similar situations.
50. Write an article on this, as I did. Promote the new
health care options. You never know who reads your writings!
Takeaways:
- The
"Affordable Care Act" and newly expanded Medicaid have great potential
to decrease homelessness.
- Average
people like you and me, can help Homeless Americans learn about their new
health care options, help them enroll, and encourage them to participate
in their own health care. By doing so, you are helping others help themselves.
For more information:
Homeless Healthcare - Past, Present, and Future
- Homelessness
- Health Care - General Information
- Using
Health Reform to End Homelessness - "The Affordable Care
Act, and the expansion of Medicaid in particular, is the secret weapon in
the fight against homelessness."
- Obamacare
will improve health care for homeless, study says -
"Obamacare will be a huge boon to homeless people and save the states
money at the same time, according to a Yale study released Monday."
- How
Obamacare Helped Paul, A Homeless California Man, Finally Get Insurance -
"Hope isn't an insurance policy."
- The
Affordable Care Act's Role in Preventing and Ending Homelessness -
"People experiencing homelessness often have complex health
challenges that both contribute to, and are exacerbated by, homelessness.
They generally have limited access to health care because they are often
unemployed, lacking employer-sponsored insurance, and living in poverty.
As a result, many people who are homeless have had to rely on emergency
room visits and uncompensated hospital care, resulting in poor health
outcomes, higher mortality risks, and higher public costs."
- Homeless,
Poor Covered Under Affordable Care Act, But Many Don't Know It -
"But there are many obstacles for the homeless, including proof of
citizenship and ID. Others simply don't know about the Affordable
Care Act."
How to Prepare and Take Action to Help the Homeless
with Healthcare
Disclaimer - Article is for information only and is not
medical or legal advice. Seek professional assistance as needed or wanted.
